DESCRIPTION: The long-term goal of the proposed research is the prevention of mortality and morbidity caused by poor nutritional choices. The mechanism for achieving this goal is the development, field-testing, and distribution (in Phase III) of an effective multimedia nutrition education tool for use in high school classrooms that will educate and motivate adolescents to adopt better nutritional behaviors. The specific aims of the Phase II effort are: to develop and produce a nutritional education multimedia program for use with high school students; to field- test the multimedia program to assure that it is effective in motivating and educating adolescents to make healthier food choices; and to select a publishing and/or distribution mechanism to be deployed in Phase III. Development of the multimedia program will be guided by an Advisory Panel of nutrition education experts and will build upon the Khufu Nutrition Quest prototype developed in Phase I. Khufu is an adventure/quest game set in a pyramid in ancient Egypt. The program will be field-tested using a pre-post experimental design in six California high schools. The program is technologically innovative in that it applies computer-based instruction, sound, and motion to the presentation of skill-based nutrition education. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATION: NOT AVAILABLE